Room on the Broom by Julia Donaldson

Room on the Broom
by Julia Donaldson
illustrated by Axel Scheffler

Publisher: Puffin Books
ISBN: 978-0142501122
Published: August 2003 (reprint)
genre: picture book
32 pages
age level: 3-7

format available: hardcover, paperback, audio, board book. And a coloring book! :-)

author's website

back of book:
The witch and her cat are happily flying through the sky on a broomstick when the wind picks up and blows away the witch's hat, then her bow, and then her wand! Luckily, three helpful animals find the missing items, and all they want in return is a ride on the broom. But is there room on the broom for so many friends? And when disaster strikes, will they be able to save the witch from a hungry dragon?

My Thoughts:
The witch looks like a witch. She's got the black cape, black pointy hat, cauldron, cat, wand, and a wart on the nose. Except the cat is not black, there is a yellow polka-dot bow in her hair and a smile on her face. Of course, you'd be smiling too . . .

How the cat purred
and how the witch grinned,
as they sat on their broomstick
and flew through the wind.

Sounds perfectly delightful until the wind blow her hat off. Luckily, every time she loses something, someone is on the ground and finds it for her.

The scary part is not the hungry dragon. Sure the dragon breaths fire and holds a limp witch in his arms as he gets ready to feast but the scary part is ...

From out of a ditch
rose a horrible beast.
It was tall, dark, and sticky,
and feathered and furred.
It had four frightful heads,
it had wings like a bird.
And its terrible voice,
when it started to speak,
was a yowl and a growl
and a croak and a shriek.
It dripped and it squelched
as it strode from the ditch,
And it said to the dragon,
"Buzz off!--
THAT'S MY WITCH!"

And a picture to go along with the text. Of course, if you've been paying attention, you'll notice that these are the witch's friends all covered in mud. :-D

Then after a bath and a spell, the witch had

A TRULY MAGNIFICENT BROOM!

"Yes!" cried the witch,
and they all clambered on.
The witch tapped the broomstick and
whoosh! they were gone.

and yes, it was a truly magnificent broom with room for everyone.


Cute book with a bit of scary that can be made more scary as your child gets older. I really enjoyed this book although I've only read it three times. There are no kids in the house to ask for repeated readings.


Disclaimer: I purchased this book myself. The opinions expressed in this post are mine and may differ from yours. Book information courtesy of the author and amazon.

copyright Book Dragon's Lair 2009-2015